Sheet-metal culvert.



W. T. SHANNON.

SHEET METAL GULVEET.

APPLICATION TILED MAR.6.1913.

Patented Aug. 26, 1913.

FILLIAIVI 'l. SHANNON. OF CINCZIISNATL.

SHEET-META L (ZULVERT.

Specification of Letters Eaten Application filed March 6,1913. Serial No. 752.335.

7 '0 all il hom 2'. may concern.

lle it known that l. Imam! T. SII.\N Non, a citizen of the lnited States of America. and resident of Cincinnati, county of Hamilton. and State of Ohio. have in vented certain new and useful Improve. ntcnts in Sheetflletal Culverts. of which the following; a specification.

This invention relates to conduits and ha for an object to-producc a metal conduit composed of sheet metal sections and having improved means for nterlocking separate se tions.

further object is to prod one a .metal con-- d sit section ha vintr a substantially that bot.- tom plate. which is provided with improved means for removably securing itto adjacent bottom plates.

A further object is to produce a metal conduit provided with means for securing the separate sections together and for pre venting a flow of water between the conduit and its supporting foundation.

These. and other objects I attain by means of a. metallic structure embodying the features herein described and illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this application.

In the drawings Figure 1 a fragn'iental perspective view of a conduit embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a tragniental perspective view of a base plate which forms a detail of my invention, and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of a conduit embodying my invention.

hly present invention is embodied in a metallic conduit which, as illustrated. is formed in separate sections. each section consisting of a substai-itially ilat plat i. and an arched cover plate 6. The parts and (3 are so arranged that each sect on may be quickly and easily assembled and the separate sections may be readily secured t0- gether without the necessity of employing rivets or other fastening means which are ditticult to adjust.

As illustrated each plate 5 is formed from a sheet metal blank and is preferably provided with longitudinally extending: grooves 7, which are located along its lateral edges and are adapted to receive the lateral or straightedges of the arched cover ptates 6. Each plate 5 is also provided with *downwardlyextending flanges 8,- which are lhcated along'the lateral edges of the plate,

immediately adjacent to the .L' l't T. Each plate 5 also pro'vidcd with a d wnwardly project inntlauge or tone'nc 1'. whi h. as illustrated. is integrally f rmed with. or is struck from, the metal ot the plate and extends transversely alone one end it the plate. between the grooves T. The other end of each plate is provided with 11 trans- .'ersel v extending slot 11. which is preterably formed. in the metal at the plates so as to form a corrcspttndine'ly t e it" on the bottom of the plate. it extends across the plate and between the grooves 7, and projects downwardly below the bottom face of the plate 5. and. besides stitlteninp, the end of the plate, it forms a. flow obstructing ridge which projects below the plate and extends between it and its support or foundation.

Each slot 11 is adapted to receive the tongue 9 of an adjacent plate. din-in; the operation 0t assembling the sections to form a conduit, and the tongues and groove of adjacent plates cooperate to lock the plates together and also to form stiticning rihs for the tii'iished conduit. These stiil'ening ribs not only streinrthen the llOttt fil plates against crossbending. but also priwent the culvert from buckling, due to an unequal distribution of the load on the arched plate 6.

Each flange 9 is preferably formed by slitting: one edge of the sheet metal, forming the plate, at points adjacent to the grooves 7, and then turning the severed portion of the blank downwardly. so that it extends transversely across the plate between the grooves 7. The ridge l1 is-tormed in substantially the same manner, except that the outer edge of the partially severed piece of metal is turned upwardly so as to form the slot 11. The depth and the width of the slots 11 are so proportioned that tongues 9 of adjacent plates are readily received by them.

During the assembling of the separate sections to form a conduit, the plates 5 are located and to end, so that the tongue 9 of one plate projects into, and held in place by. the slot 11 of an adjacent plate. When the plates are in this position, the metal forming the grooves 7 ot one plate overlaps the metal forming the grooves 7 at at adjacent plate and the grooves cotlpcrate to interlock the plates of the series, in luded r. ti e in the conduit, and to prevent them being displaced laterally, relatively to each other. The grooves 7 also cooperate to form a con tiuu-ous groove, along each edge of the base portion of the conduit, and in which the straight edges of the arched members 6 are located. I find it preferable to so locate the pla es 5 during the formation of a conduit, or culvert, that the slots 11 are turned toward the uphill end of the conduit. lVith such an arrangement, the downhill end of each plate overlaps the uphill end of the next adjacent plate, and consequently, pro duccs an elfective draining surface and a substantially Water-tight construction.

With the plates 5 constructed as illustrated, each plate is supported by the ribs, formed on the bottom of the plate and resulting from the formation of the grooves 7. These ribs extend/downwardly below the bottom of the plate, the same amount as the transversely extending ridge 11. \Vith this construction the Hat or body portions of the plates are located above th ir support-- ing foundation, when a rigid foundation is,

employed, and the space be ow the plates and betweeri'them and their foundation is intersected at intervals by the transversely extending ridgesll. It is well known that water will flow along the line of least resistance, and that, where the bottom plates of a culvert, of the type illustrated, are mounted immediately upon the earth without the intervention of a. solid foundation, a stream of water is likely to be formed under theculvert, which, it it is unobstructed,'will gradually undermine the culvert and eventually wreck it. The transversely extending ridges 11 which project downwardly below the plates 5, obstruct and tend to wholly prevent such a flow of water under the culvert or conduit; and they consequently orevent the foundation of the culvert from eing washed or worn sway. B turning the plates 5 so that the downhill end of each plate overlaps the uphill end of each adjacent plate, means is provided for adequately draining water from below the plates into the culvert, since the water below the plate will pass through the crev ices or cracks between the adjacent plates and enter the culvert. .-The fact that the grooves 7 are substantiall as deep as the ridges 11 also aids in draining water from below the plates 5 into the conduit, since the ridges 11 obstruct, the flow of water below the culvert, andthe, path of least resistance for the confined water is through the crevices between the metal of the plates form-- ing the grooves.

In the drawings the arched plates 6 are shown corrugated for the purpose of strengthening them, and in Fig. 3 ,these plates are"shown overlapped so that the end corrugation ofone plate interlocks with the I end corrugation of'an adjacent plate. This construct-ion pro'duc'es an arched culvert in which the separate parts are as effectively held together, for all practical. purposes, as if bolts, rivets, or similar devices were employed. In addition to this, the bottom plates are strengthened longitudinally by the formation of the grooves 7, and they are strengthened laterally by the fornnition of the tongues 9 and ridges l1.,;so thatthc cul Vert sections are stronger than other metal sections now in use and employingtbe same weight of metal. The coiiperation of the tongues 9 and ridges ll also increases the lateral strength of the bottom plates of the be reinforced at. points, substantially two and one-half or'three feet apart, by a rib formed of three thicknesses of metal and reinforced by the/inherent rigidity of the metal of the plates on which its coti -ierating parts are formed. Such a construction Will not. only insure against cross-bendingof the lates 5, but it will prevent the'plates from buckling and will also increase the rigidity of the finished conduit.

B forming the grooves 7 and the slots: ll so tat they project below the bottom face of the plate, the culvert will be securely anchored in place when it. is mounted diretaly upon the earth, since the weight of the culvert and the Weight of the earth above it will force the downwardly projecting ridges or' ribs,.formcd on the bottom of plates 5, into the supporting earth, and this will also render the transversely extending ridges 11 more effective as flow-obstructing agents.

The advantage of the construction, herein illustrated, is thatthe culvert or conduit may be formed of galvanized or protected is completely covered. by the protective sheath of the galvanizing metal. Such a construction is impossible where the separate sections are riveted or are secured togcther by means of bolts or similar devices. Another advantage is, that. the plates are so interlocked by the cooperation of the groove 7 and the tongues 9 and slots 11 of the different plates, that they are prevented from moving in both directions relatively to each other. I

l'Vhile I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, I desire to have it understood that various changes, modifications and substitutions may be made in the apparatus illustrated, with out departing from the. spirit and scope oi my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What Iclaim is:

1. A. substantially flat bottom plate for conduit sections, having a torgce receiving slot formed across one end. thereof.

A substantially {lat tottoin plate for sheet metal, in which each plate or section culvert, since, in practice the culvert will conduit sections, having a tongue at one end and a tongue-engaging slot at the other end thereof.,

3. A substantially flat bottom plate for conduit sections, having a flow obstructing stiffening rib formed thereon and provided with a tongue-engagin slot.

4. A substantially at bottom plate for conduit sections, having a downwardly projecting stiffening flange extending across the plate at one end thereof, and a flow obstructing stiffening rib extending transversely across the plate and having a flange-engaging slot formed therein.

5. A substantially flat bottom plate for conduit sections, having longitudinally extending supporting ridges located along its.

lateral edges, a transversely extending flange located along one end thereof, and a transversely. extending flange-engaging slot formed along the other end thereof.

6. In a conduit section, a top member and a bottom member, comprising a substantially flat plate having longitudinally extending top member-engaging grooves, and a transversely extending flange-engaging slot formed therein.

7. A substantially flat sheet metal bottom plate for conduit sections, having longitudinally extending supporting ridges and a transversely extending flow obstructin ridge formed on the bottom face thereo, and a downwardly projecting locking flange formed at one end thereof. 7

8. A conduit composed of sheet metal cover plates and substantially flat interlocking sheet metal bottom plates provided along their lateral edges with means for engaging the cover plates.

9. A conduit composed of interlocking bottom plates having longitudinally extending cover plate-receiving grooves formed therein, and arched cover plates mounted on the bottom plates with their lateral edges in the grooves.

10. A conduit composed of interlocking bottom plates having flow-obstructing ribs formed thereon and top-receiving grooves formed therein, and overlapping arched cover plates mounted on the bottom plates with their lateral edges mounted in said grooves.

11. A conduit composed of a series of interlocking sections, each section comprising a bottom plate having cover-receiving grooves formed therein, a flange on one end thereof and a flange-receiving slot formed in the other end thereof, and a cover plate mounted on the bottom plate and having its edges mounted in the grooves formed in the cover plate.

12. A conduit composed of a series of intel-locking sections, each section com rising a bottom plate, having an inter ocking flange formed thereon, and a fiow-obstructing and flange-engaging ridge formed thereon and adapted to engage an interlocking flange of an adjacent plate, and a cover plate mounted on the bottom plate. e

13. A conduit composed of sheet metal sections, each section consisting of a cover and a substantially fiat sheet metal bottom plate provided along one end with an integrally formed, downwardly project-ing flange, and along the other end with a transversely extending stitl'ening rib having a flange-engaging slot, and along its lateral edges with means for engaging the cover.

14. A substantially flat bottom plate for conduit sections, having longitudinally extending lateral grooves formed therein, and a transversely extending slot formed along one end thereof, the metal of the grooves projecting beyond the slot.

15. A substantially flat bottom plate for 5 conduit sections, having a downwardly projecting flange at one end and a downwardly projecting flangeengaging ridge at the other end, and longitudinally extending lateral grooves; formed therein, the metal forming the grooves projecting beyond the flange and the ridge at their respective ends of the plate.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 23rd day of March, 1913.

WlLLlA .\l 'l. SHANNON.

\Vitnesses copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. C. 

